Review: SCOTTISH BALLET'S THE SNOW QUEEN, Theatre Royal

Having cast its spell on Edinburgh last month, Scottish Ballet’s The Snow Queen opens in Glasgow to dazzle audiences as part of its winter tour. 

Based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen The Snow Queen (Jessica Fyfe) and her sister, the Summer Princess (Melissa Parsons), live in an isolated palace. When the Summer Princess sees a vision of her future, where she falls in love, she leaves him to try to find him. Devastated by the departure of her sister, the Snow Queen grows bitter and vows to lure her back to the Ice Palace.

The Summer Princess lives in a bustling city, now known by her new name and identity as Lexi, a local pickpocket. She sees Kai (Bruno Micchiardi), the man from her vision and his beloved fiancée Gerda (Kaya-Maree Taranatolo) and waits to try and make him her own. When The Snow Queen realises her sister's intentions, she sends a shard of ice into Kai’s heart, turning him cold and unfeeling and steals him away to the palace. 

Choreographed by Christopher Hampson CBE, this production of The Snow Queen is absolutely captivating from start to finish. Designed by Lez Brotherston OBE, the sets are spectacular, particularly the scenes deep in the forest and in the traveller’s camp.

The storytelling is very clear in this visually striking production. It’s technically brilliant and thoroughly entertaining with a lot of standout dance moments. Gillian Risi is a musician who appears in the second act and brings a beautifully haunting element to the story. 

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